Toggle pliers



Aug. 24, 1943. J, oLsQN 2,327,368

TOGGLE PLIERs- Filed July 22, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 1 lo m v H F n. l* l ,Il 'w y v 4 I t 2 ennunmmglmu mnnnnucegmuunll!aangenaam 4 l f. ln

Smaentor I John Olson Gttorneg latented Angn 24, i943 sTATEs PATENT ori TGGLE PLIERS John Olson, Detroit, Mich. Application July 22, 1940, Serial No. 346,795

(Cl. 8l-46) 12 Claims.

a hand gripping the pliers, so that the Y other hand oi' a person using the tool may be entirely free to manipulate work.

Another object is to adapt either end of one handle of a pair of pliers to rock to or from the other handle and to provide for opening or closing the plier jaws accordingly as pressure is applied to one or the other end of the rocking handle.

A'urther object is to provide for actuation of the jaws of pliers through a pair of toggle links adapted to lock the jaws in engagement with work.

These and various other objects the invention attains by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevational View of the pliers, 'with their jaws open.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the jaws closed.

Fig, 3 is a top plan view of the tool.

Fig, e is a cross sectional view taken upon the line ll-i of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken on the line d l of Fig, 2, showing'particularly the lower jaw.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the pliers in a modined iorm.

T"i if is a cross section taken on the line 'l--ll in these views, the reference characters l and i designate the paired elongated handles of my improved pliers, each preferably formed of sheet metal bent to a U or channel cross section, the id portion of the handle 2 being integrally formed with a pair of spaced, opposed lugs 3 projecting into the channel of the handle l and terminally pivoted on the latter by a rivet il or the like. Rigidly and integrally projecting from the handle l and preferably aligned therewith is a conforming to the U cross section of said handle, and a companion jaw 6 is pivoted by a rivet or the like i on a support 8 transversely and integrally projecting from the handle i at its juncture with the jaw 5. The support B is hollow, comprising spaced parallel portions similarly extending from the sides of the handle l and jointly forming a wall 9 at the iront ofsaid support. The iree end portion of said support is forwardly bent to receive the pivot rivet l. The

jaw li is formed of standard bar material, its major transverse axis being inthe plane jointly established by the paired jaws, except as regards the front portion of said jaw, the bar having a ninety degree twist to render the major axis of its front portion transverse to said plane.

Housed within the hollow support 8 is a pair of toggle links lll and il forming anactuating connection for the jaw 6, said links when aligned being substantially transverse to the jaws. The link it is dual, engaging at`each side of the rear end of the jaw S and being pivoted to the latter by a pin i2. The link Il which is preferably single is at one end connected to the link it by a pin 12a and has its other end pivoted on a rivet or the like i3 disposed at the juncture of the handle l, jaw 5, and support A link bar it forms a swinging actuating connection from the handle 2 to the toggle links, lthe rear end of said bar extending into the channel of said handle, and engaging a rivet l5 at the base of the lugs 3, and the front end of said bar being pivoted to the pin i261.

At their forward ends, the jaws 5 and E carry work clamps which may be constructed to suit the particular purpose of the pliers. The clamps illustrated are formed by bolts I6 engaged in oversized openings in the jaws and each rigidly secured to its jaw by a pair of lock nuts il, Said clamps project toward each other a distance reg' ulable by the lock nuts, and their adjacent ends any desired shape. Preferably the free end of the jaw 5 is so conformed to the inner lock nut associated with such jaw as to restrain such nut from rotation.

The modication illustrated by Fig. 6, conforms to the preceding description as regards the handles l' and 2', the lugs 3', the jaw il', the support S', toggle links Hl' and il', link bar ifi', and clamping elements l5. In place o the nonplvotal jaw 5, however, the jaw ii is duplicated, the handle l having a slight forward extension it beyond the support 8' to pivotally mount the second jaw 6, and the toggle link il being pivoted to the rear end of said second jaw. in this construction, both toggle links I t and il are dual and the pin 2i interconnecting said links has projecting ends guided in channels 22 formed by the opposed walls of the support 8' and extending parallel to the handle l.

In either form f the described tool, the jaws may be closed or opened, accordingly as the forward or rearward end portion of the handle 2 vor 2 is pressed toward the handle l or i. Thus-by merely shifting the hand gripping the tool a few.

inches forwardly or back, the'response of the jaws to an applied gripping force may be ref fact that the toggle links are adapted, in closing the jaws on work, to swing slightly beyond a dead center position, as clearly appears in Fig. 2, so as to eiect a locking of the jawsin engagement with the work. Movement of said links beyond dead center is of course slight, being limited by engagement of the front end of the bar I4 with the wall 9. Opening travel of the jaws 6 or 6' is limited by inclined upper portion of the wall 9.

An important distinction is to be noted between my improved gripping tool and those lacking a locking effect. In absence of a locking action, the work is freed on relief of the muscular effort applied to maintain gripping action of the jaws. In the tool now disclosed, upon snapping4 of the toggle links beyond their dead center position as illustrated by Fig. 2, there is set up a powerful resistance to separation of the jaws. Release of the jaws involves the application of a force adequate to shift the toggle links past dead center. 'Iherefore, the handle leverage requisite for release of the jaws must be substantially equal to that provided for closing the jaws. i

Limitation of opening travel of the jaws is vital in the disclosed construction since in absence of such limitation, the pin I2 might be shifted downwardly across the dead center line established jointly by the pin I2a and rivet 1, thus reversing the intended control exercised by lthe handle on the jaw 6. f

Said pliers have numerous uses and are particularly suited for production jobs, in which a certain operation requires constant repetition, one adjustment of the work clamps serving for all such operations. The pliers are further well suited to use as a C clamp and for holding parts in intimate contact during welding or other operations.

The invention is presented as including all Y stantially transverse,

such mocliiications and changes as come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

i. A pair of pliers comprising a pair of elongated coacting handles, a pair of spaced coacting jaws mounted on one of said handles, the mounting of at least one of said jaws being pivotal,

means pivoting the mid portion of the other handle on the jaw-mounting handle, a, pair of toggle links interconnecting the jaws and eiectivevto close or open the jaws accordingly as said links are shifted to or from alignment, and a link bar forming a swinging actuating connection from the mid portion of the pivotal handle to the juncture of the toggle links, whereby the jaws are opened or closed accordingly as one or the other end of the pivotal handle is rocked toward the companion handle.

2. A pair of pliers as set forth in claim 1, one of said jaws being directly mounted on the jawmounting handle, and such handle having a substantially transverse projecting support terminally pivotally mounting the other jaw, said supand means pivoting one aeaaeefe port coacting with the toggle links to limit their diver-geriet at one side of their aligned position.

3. A pair of pliers as set forth in claim 1, the rocking handle having an integral projection from its mld portion terminally pivoted on the jaw-mounting handle, said link bar engaging the rocking handle at the base of said projection.

4. A pair of pliers as set forth in claim 1, one of said jaws being directlymounted on the .lawmounting handle. and such handle having a. subhollow projecting support. housing said toggle links and terminally pivotally mounting the other jaw..

5. A pair of pliers comprising a pair of elongated coacting handles, a Jaw support projecting rigidly and substantially transversely from the front end of one of said handles, means'pivoting the mid portion of the other handle on the mid portion of the handle carrying the jaw support. Y

4ing actuating connection from the mid portion of the pivotal handle to the juncture of the toggle links.

6. A pair of pliers comprising coacting jaws, a pair of handles, an actuating connection from the handles to the jaws. means effective on said connection for locking the jaws in closed position responsive to their actuation to such position,

of said handles substantially at its mid portion to rock at either end to and from the other handle, said pivoted handle being adapted to apply substantially the same leverage to said connection when actuated at either end, and said connection opening or closing the jaws according as one or the other end of said pivoted handle is rocked toward the other handle.

7. A pair of pliers as set forth in claim 6, said actuating connection comprising a pair of toggle links, and said locking'means taking effect on said links.

8. .A work holding tool comprising a. pair of coacting jaws, a pair of elongated handles, pivot means mounting one of said handles at its -mid portion to rock on the companion handle, and an actuating connection from said mid portion to one of the jaws, eilective to open or close the jaws according to 'the direction of rocking of the rocking handle, the handles having gripping portions a1; both sides of said pivot means, whereby the jaws may be opened or closed accordingly as the handles are jointly gripped at one or the other side of the pivot means.

9. A work holding tool comprising a pair of elongated handles, a pair of coacting jaws plvotally mounted on one of said handles, a pair of toggle links forming an actuating connection between said jaws, means pivotally mounting one of said handles at its mid portion to rock on the according to the direction of rocking of the rocking handle, the handles having gri in rtl at both sides of pp g p0 ons oted jam dies, a substantially transverse projection on one of said handles, means pivoting one of said jaws on said projection for movement to adapt 'the jaws for opening and closing travel, said projection having a portion forming a stop, engageable by and limiting opening movement of said pivotal jaw, means pivoting one of said handles upon the other, and an actuating connection from said pivotal handle to said pivotal jaw.

11. A work holding tool comprising a pair of coacting jaws, a pair of elongated coacting handies for actuating said jaws, a support rigidly projecting from one of said handles and having two stop portions, means pivoting one of said jaws on said support for coaction with the other jaw and foriurther coaction with one of said stop portions to limit opening travel of said pivmeans pivoting one of said handles upon the other, and an actuating connection from said pivotal handle to said pivotal jaw, engageable with the other of said stop portions to effect locking of the jaws in their closed position.

12. A Work holding tool comprising a pair f elongated coacting handles, a pair of gripping jaws pivoted on the forward portion of one of said handles in opposed coacting relation, means pivoting the mid portion of the other handle on an opposed portion of the jaw-mounting handle,

a pair of pivotally joined toggle an actuating connection between links forming the rear ends of the jaws, a swinging actuating connection from the mid portion of the pivotal handle to the juncture of the toggle links, and coacting means upon the jaw-mounting handle and at the juncture of the toggle links for rectilinearly guiding the joined ends of the links in a forward and back travel.

JOHN OLSON. 

